DRC – 18 July 2014

Shortly after midday in this village nestled in clouds, the progenitors of the long, dirty war across Central Africa came out of THE JUNGLE and laid down their guns. Not all the gunmen in their ranks: 83 guerrillas were present, along with their wives and children. And not all their guns: The cache included several ancient rifles, some rusty MORTARS and two Vietnam-era, American-made machine guns.

The members of the militia, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda — composed of ethnic Hutus from Rwanda and known by its French initials, F.D.L.R. — said they were willing to give up their guns for good if they were allowed to go home and negotiate power with their archnemesis, the Rwandan government. The leaders shed their camouflage for ill-fitting black SUITS. A marching band played.

Kinshasa, 24 June 2014. On June 23, the Government of the DRC, with technical and financial support from UNICEF, the WHO, GAVI and other PARTNERS, launched a measles monitoring campaign, in addition to an existing polio monitoring campaign, in the community of Kimbanseke. The campaign is set to run from June 24 to 28, 2014, across the city-province of Kinshasa.

THE GOAL is to vaccinate 2,800,000 children aged 6 months to 10 years against measles, and 1,600,000 children aged 0-59 months against polio. In addition to the campaign, 1, 400, 00 children aged 6-59 months are receiving vitamin A supplements, and 1,300,000 children aged 12-59 months are undergoing deworming with mebendazole. The campaign will also be used to promote breastfeeding in the hour following childbirth and BIRTH registration in the Civil Registry.

“We invite all parents to bring their children to the sites listed and we are counting on everyone’s participation because vaccination is a child’s right AND A parent’s duty,” said Clément Bafida, Vice-Governor of the city-province of Kinshasa, during the launch ceremonyPonabana

The UN Security Council decided Tuesday July 1 to slap sanctions on the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebel GROUP which was created by Ugandan Muslims and who are active in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, diplomats said.
The council added the ADF rebel GROUP also known as the ADF-Nalu to the Congo sanctions list for committing “serious violations” of international law by recruiting and using child soldiers; killing, maiming and sexually attacking women and children; and attacking Monusco-UN peacekeepers.

Sanctions include an arms embargo, freeze on assets AND A travel ban; they were sought by Britain, France and the United States. Its supreme leader, Jamil Mukulu, has been subjected to U.N. sanctions since 2011.
After their stunning defeat of the M23, the Congolese army and a UN intervention brigade have set their sights on the ADF, a Ugandan Islamist GROUP, and the FDLR, a Rwandan Hutu militia that includes some of the perpetrators of the 1994 genocide. However, there are fears that recent fresh violence could undermine international efforts to bring stability to the DRC’s lawless east after years of bloody conflict.

Relations between the DRC and Rwanda took a turn for the worse on June 11 when Congolese and Rwandan troops clashed at the border near Goma. After several hours of firefights, the dead bodies of five Congolese soldiers were found by the Red Cross just inside Rwanda.
There had been hardly any open hostilities between Rwandan and DRC forces for several years before this incident. Although calm was quickly restored, trade between the two countries appeared to be threatened when a couple of weeks later the DRC immigration service in Goma announced it would begin imposing visa fees on all Rwandans doing business in Congo, and on students who commute there.Turkish Weekly